Moorland Road Christmas Lights 2012

This year the lights will be officially turned on by local 4 year old Seb White – star of this years’ M&S Christmas catalogue and TV adverts.

The switch on will go ahead this Saturday 24th November at 4:30pm outside Sainsbury’s.

Father Christmas is due to arrive in style with Seb at 3:00pm and will be giving Christmas presents to children under 8 years old.

This year, due to the rain, Father Christmas will be in his all weather grotto in the new dance studio above the Co-op Scala.

Raffle tickets, sold to support the lights will be avaibale all day on Moorland Road.

Please come and support Seb and the wonderful independent shops on Moorland Road. It’s the heart of the south of Bath!

More trees for Moorfields

We are pleased to invite residents from the Moorfields Estate to plant a free tree in their Garden!

Cllr David Dixon said: “The Estate is now more than 50 years old and many of the original flowering cherry trees are past their lifespan and have been cut down.

Will and I have used our Ward Councillor funding to work in partnership with More Trees for Bath and North East Somerset to provide a variety of new trees for the community.”

Please click on the image for further details of how to register and collect your tree.

Revealed: Areas of proposed HMO restrictions

Tomorrow the Council will decide whether to go ahead with a public consultation about introducing a policy to stop any further increases in the number of Homes in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in areas of Bath where there is already a concentration of more than 25%. Click this link for the full set of Council papers (Agenda Item 15 – better quality map).

Cllr Will Sandry commented: “I very much hope this consultation goes ahead and that many members of the community have their say. The majority of long term residents believe that a restriction is right, and in fact overdue. I do however recognise the concern of some members of our community who live in HMOs that the restriction may not benefit them.

It is important that those with concerns note that the proposed policy would not remove any existing HMOs even in areas with existing concentrations above 25%. The Policy would just mean that no new HMOs could be created in those areas highlighted red on the map.”

Future reductions in Bath’s community housing pressures will come from:

  • 2000 homes at the Western Riverside (under construction)
  • 600 Study bedrooms at Bath Spa University’s Newton Park Campus (planning permission granted)
  • 700 Study bedrooms at Bath University (application submitted)
  • The former MoD sites (in consultation)

Additional infomation:

Decent homes for all

Will Sandry recently attended the Liberal Democrat Conference in Brighton where he spoke in a policy debate about housing.

Will spoke in favor of the new Lib Dem Housing Policy which includes a mandatory scheme of regulating all letting agents (at present it is not necessary to have any qualifications or meet any national standards to be a letting agent).

The policy would also make it easier for local councils to introduce targeted licensing schemes in areas with high concentrations of poor quality private lets.

The Policy also includes:

  • Building up to 300,000 new houses by supporting investment and giving local authorities and social landlords more freedom to build
  • Increasing protection for private tenants by promoting longer tenancies and cracking down on rogue landlords
  • Giving local authorities more power to control second homes and bring empty homes back into use.

Click here for the full text of Will’s speech: Decent Homes for All

20 is plenty – Have your say

All households in Oldfield Ward should have received a survey from the Council asking whether local residents would support all residential streets in the ward becoming 20mph zones.

From speaking with local residents we know that there is widespread support for introducing a 20mph speed limit, but residents need to have their say formally.

Cllr Will Sandry said: “This is a proper consultation, so if you are in favour or against make sure you have your say. Please complete and return the survey in the free-post envelope supplied.”

Tackling Poor Quality Housing

One of our manifesto commitments to our residents was to tackle poor quality housing in our community.

Oldfield has a high number of small HMOs available for rent. Some of these properties are poorly managed and maintained, meaning that the occupants are living in sub-standard, and sometimes unsafe accommodation.

On Monday 17th September 2012, the Council is launching a consultation about introducing an Additional Licensing scheme for small HMOs in the Ward. Click on the link for details: http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/housing/landlords-and-tenants/additional-licensing

Cllr Will Sandry commented: “The standard of some homes that Oldfield residents have to live in are of great concern to me. The proposed licensing scheme is a great opportunity to improve the management and maintenance of those properties.

The scheme also has the potential to reduce the running costs of the home by requiring energy efficiency measures such as loft insulation. It is important that people who live in HMOs respond to this consultation; and that other members of the community share their views too.”



The consultation is open until 30th November 2012.

Major Roadworks for Oldfield Park

Gas Mains on Third Avenue, King Edward Road and Oldfield Lane are due to be replaced through the Autumn. This will require temporary road closures at different phases of the project.

  • A road closure will be required on Third Avenue (between Shaftesbury Road and King Edward Road) commencing from 10th September to 26th October 2012.
  • King Edward Road will also require a road closure which will be in place from 22nd October until 21st December 2012.
  • Temporary two-way traffic lights will be required on Oldfield Road.

Bus Routes

Unfortunately, bus routes will be affected, details of which can be obtained from First nearer the time. Please see: http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/bristol_bath/travel_news/service_updates/

Why are the works required?

The works are required to ensure the continuing safety of the gas supply network, and have been phased to move the works away from Moorland Road in the run up to the Christmas trading period.

Wales and West are writing to all households on the streets effected to pre-notify residents. Click here for their newsletter about the works: WWU Oldfield Park Bath Newsletter

More Pedestrian Improvements

Both Herbert Road and Cotswold Road could benefit from new traffic calming measures drawn up by the Council. These are not yet agreed and are subject to public consultation, so please let us know what you think.

1. Herbert Road

The proposal is to install a raised table on Herbert Road at it’s Junction with Moorland Road between Herbies and Nat West bank. This is intended to slow traffic on the approach to Moorland Road.

Click for larger image

2. Cotswold Road

The unfunded proposal is to install a build out to make Cotswold Road single track at its junction with Willow Green and Hillside Road to make it easier for pedestrians to cross. This will slow traffic and make it easier for parents and their children to cross between St John’s School and Moorlands School.

Click for larger image

£100m plans at Bath Uni

The University of Bath has announced plans to build more accommodation and academic space at its Claverton Down campus. The plans include an additional 700 study bedrooms.

Cllr Will Sandry said: “I understand that the University needs to improve its academic space to remain a world class institution and I believe it to be in the City’s best interest that the University continues to succeed.

The proposed 700 study bedrooms on campus are helpful, but I would like to see more. The University has placed a huge strain on housing availability in the City over the last decade; it cannot continue consuming family housing in the City.

Irrespective of these plans, the University has a responsibility to our community to plan future increases in student numbers in a way that both the University and the City can accommodate.”

Click here for an overview of the plans

Click here for the full University Masterplan

Overwhelming Support

More than 200 local people have written to the Council in support of introducing rules to limit the further growth of HMO’s in Oldfield Park.

This is an unusually high response to a local government survey. It is understood that by contrast there were a very small number of responses against new rules being introduced.

Cllr Will Sandry commented: “Local people want a mixed diverse community and that includes people living in HMOs. The balance has to be right and these rules will help deliver that balance.

I hope that Bath University and the Student Unions at both universities reflect on this response from the communities in which they are welcomed.

It is important to remember that these rules will not remove any existing HMOs. The rules will mean that planning permission will be required to convert a family home into an HMO in the future. The planning process will enable local people to have their say about what is and isn’t the right balance in their community.”

The Council intends to introduce planning restrictions which will see planning permission required for future changes of use from family houses into small HMOs across the City from 1st July 2013. It is also proposing that HMO landlords in areas with a large number of HMOs should be required to apply for a licence to help curb management and housing quality issues.

Next steps

  • Public consultation on the detail of the additional HMO licencing scheme is due to be released in September 2012 for public consultation.
  • The detail of the planning controls is due to be considered by Cabinet in October and launched for public consultation in October.
  • A series of briefings and drop-in events open to the public on these HMO controls are planned for October 2012.